I like the shots, and going for rich tones is nice too, but agree about the 'in shot' frames, they go against the composition and it gets distracting. And again the black frames on the edge are fine.

Shot of the two with the bird are good, but some light on their faces would help a lot, through diffused flash or a reflector to help them stand out a little more and get rid of most of the shadow on her face. Also, would add some more catch light in their eyes.